I haven't do any "famous work" yet, but I'will talk about some projects that I like to study someday:
The Tenerife Opera house - Santiago Calatrava
With its inauguration on September 27, the Opera House will bring attention both to the city of Santa Cruz and the Canary Islands, a grouping of seven islands west of Morocco. An autonomous region of Spain, the islands are known more for its nightlife and beaches than for cultural amenities, though surely this building is an attempt to infuse the islands with both high culture and world-class architecture.
The Opera House follows from sculptural studies that Calatrava investigated earlier in his career. With an absence of program and scale, the sculptures were useful for the architect/engineer to develop novel forms generated from the study of forces. This investigation lead to the dramatic, symmetrical form of the building, an engineering marvel in concrete and stone. His method is contrary to Gehry's, whereby designs like the Disney Hall, embody artistic intuition instead of engineering skill, though each creates objects of unique beauty.
Sited on nearly six acres next to the ocean, the building seems to rise up and over itself in the form of a wave from the waters below. Two auditoriums, totally 73,000 s.f. with a capacity of over 2000, is contained under the wave, as well as administrative offices, below-grade parking and a public plaza. Acoustically, the two halls were designed to be adaptable to different performances and situations, with openings that can be closed for the ideal treatment. Although the building will be the permanent home of the TSO, upcoming events include plays and even conferences that justify the variability.
The Tenerife Opera house - Santiago Calatrava
With its inauguration on September 27, the Opera House will bring attention both to the city of Santa Cruz and the Canary Islands, a grouping of seven islands west of Morocco. An autonomous region of Spain, the islands are known more for its nightlife and beaches than for cultural amenities, though surely this building is an attempt to infuse the islands with both high culture and world-class architecture.
The Opera House follows from sculptural studies that Calatrava investigated earlier in his career. With an absence of program and scale, the sculptures were useful for the architect/engineer to develop novel forms generated from the study of forces. This investigation lead to the dramatic, symmetrical form of the building, an engineering marvel in concrete and stone. His method is contrary to Gehry's, whereby designs like the Disney Hall, embody artistic intuition instead of engineering skill, though each creates objects of unique beauty.
Sited on nearly six acres next to the ocean, the building seems to rise up and over itself in the form of a wave from the waters below. Two auditoriums, totally 73,000 s.f. with a capacity of over 2000, is contained under the wave, as well as administrative offices, below-grade parking and a public plaza. Acoustically, the two halls were designed to be adaptable to different performances and situations, with openings that can be closed for the ideal treatment. Although the building will be the permanent home of the TSO, upcoming events include plays and even conferences that justify the variability.